Algonquin 17

I first noticed a Swift canoe in a mall display in Surrey, BC. It was the Winisk, tricked out in ash trim, cherry decks & sliding bow seat with webbing seats. Falling in love with it's looks & features but having a family of 5 plus 2 dogs, I finally settled on the Algonquin 17 in their "goldenglass" layup. Mine is also tricked out in ash trim with cherry decks, web seats (sliding bow seat), contoured yoke AND a third seat in the middle. It weighs in at 65lbs. It has good initial and great secondary stability! The heavier you load this canoe the better she behaves in chop. I took it on a 7 day trip on the Bowron Lake circuit. It handled great in wind, chop and the short class I-II white water. It tracked well and constantly was one of the fastest boats in the group that we paced (or should I say "paced us"). She got lots of compliments too. It was also easy to remove the third seat and the yoke for travelling up there. The canoe had to fit over two packs that wouldn't fit into the Jeep Cherokee so they had to travel on the roof rack under the canoe. Training for this trip, with 3 adults in it, we hung it up on a log sweeper in a moderate current and got a couple star cracks near the rounded chines. Swift provided prompt repair instructions and on request supplied some matched gelcoat so the repairs matched the original color. Good support service - thanks Swift!

I have had all 5 of the family 3 kids & wife & I in it (including cooler, camera gear & extra canoe chair) in fair sized waves (1-1&1/2foot white caps) and it stays dry and tracks well and we are all comfortable. 2 of the kids share the centre seat and that way they can both paddle. I have also done a 4 day solo trip (with the dog)and even though the dog kept jumping out of the canoe she never once was threatening to capsize it! This is a great family & tripping boat and a fair solo paddle although the Winisk would have been better for solo. The weight makes it easy for me to handle on portages & pull overs & lining. After renting heavy "lunkers" I really love this boat. The only downside is the glass layup is fragile in rivers & rock gardens, You can get it in royalex if you want.

I have been shopping/demoing canoes for the past month. It became apparent that Swift Canoe was the "cream of the crop" when it came to canoe manufacturers. Their staff were very helpful, friendly, and certainly know their product. While I enjoyed each swift canoe that I tested, I was surprised to find that the Algonquin 17 was my favorite. It may have been marginally slower that some of Swift's asymmetrical designs, but handled just as well, if not better. I had narrowed my choice down to either the Algonquin 17 or the Winisk. The deciding factor was when during our test paddle, I dropped my wife off at the dock. The Algonquin was a true joy to paddle solo. I had never paddled a canoe that tracked so well, yet stayed so maneuverable. Shortly after that paddle, I ordered the Algonquin 17 with two tone superior blue and white, ash gunwales, cherry interior and deck, sliding bow seat and of course a solo thwart. The only negative is that I have to wait 30 days to paddle my dream canoe....but like all good things...it'll be worth waiting for!